Wow! I realized the other day that it has been a LONG time since I posted on here. I have been very busy. I posted last in March so I will start from there. Back in March we were looking for a house and found one. We are still working on getting said house. It is a foreclosure and we love it but it is taking a long time. We are currently waiting on a siding issue. Since it is bank owned, we have to wait and see whether or not the bank is going to fix it. If they do fix it, we get the house; if they don't, we don't.
We have been cleaning, repairing, and packing up the house we are currently renting to prepare for the move. The siding issue only came up at the last minute so this is really throwing a wrench in our plans. Hopefully things will work out with it but only time will tell what will happen. I am a strong believer that everything happens for a reason and if it is meant to be than it will.
In the mean time, I have been pregnant, complete with morning sickness and all. I know what many people are thinking...but things are going very well. I am 20 weeks and 1 day along, whereas in the past I haven't made it past 13 weeks. I can now feel the baby move around and it is very reassuring. I go into the doctor every 2 weeks and according to the preliminary results, the doctor seems to think we are having a little girl! My next appointment is this Friday.
I am thrilled that this pregnancy is going so well. I think the thing I am most worried about now is that since it has been so long since we've had a baby in the house, we aren't what you'd call "prepared." I no longer have any baby furniture, clothes or other necessary items. On top of that, not having even held a baby or changed a diaper since Jade was in them is a bit scary. I know that it won't be too difficult to remember all the mothering skills it takes but my nerves are there none the less. Oh and my due date is October 17th, 2011.
The next thing, is that the kids are almost done with school for the year. They get out on the 17th of June. Then, this coming Autumn my baby girl Jade is starting kindergarten! Hannah will be in 3rd grade and Zennek will be in 2nd! I just can't believe that they are all growing so fast. I would love to know where we will be living when that part of the year comes around though, so I can get them enrolled in school. I really dislike waiting for the last minute on these things. Also, I would like to be in my house and "living" in it for a while before the angel we are being blessed with arrives.
Well, these are the major things going on with us lately. I hope I can get on here more often to keep everyone updated. Thanks for reading.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Busy Busy Busy...
I have been so busy lately. I, out of nowhere, remembered that I haven't been on my blog in a long time. Hannah and Zennek are busy with school. This week Zennek is having lots of fun celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday (which is today March 2nd.) Today he got to wear Pjs to school and tomorrow he wears crazy socks. This is a great way to celebrate such a significant person in youth literature and also change things up for a little fun. Hannah is unfortunately still very bored with school. She is very excited for next year to start. Jade can't wait for the next school year either...she will be starting kindergarten in the fall.
As for other things going on with us, we were finally given our pre-approval to buy a house and we are currently looking for just the right house. It is very exciting looking for your first house. Chris has been put in charge of his office and in turn has been working a lot of extra hours. I have been doing home searches, arranging and toting everyone to lots of appointments, making time to make homemade meals, packing all the stuff that we don't use everyday, making time to spend with each of the kids, babysitting and trying to maintain the house on my spare time.
The thing is, I wouldn't change this craziness for anything. Being busy isn't a bad thing, it just keeps my mind on all the things I have to think about and off the things I don't need to worry about. I may not have been on here in a while, but as the saying goes "no news is good news." I always have my phone on me though, so if you want to know how things are going, just give me a ring; even I sometimes need to sit down for a break, even if it's only for 5 minutes to chit-chat.
As for other things going on with us, we were finally given our pre-approval to buy a house and we are currently looking for just the right house. It is very exciting looking for your first house. Chris has been put in charge of his office and in turn has been working a lot of extra hours. I have been doing home searches, arranging and toting everyone to lots of appointments, making time to make homemade meals, packing all the stuff that we don't use everyday, making time to spend with each of the kids, babysitting and trying to maintain the house on my spare time.
The thing is, I wouldn't change this craziness for anything. Being busy isn't a bad thing, it just keeps my mind on all the things I have to think about and off the things I don't need to worry about. I may not have been on here in a while, but as the saying goes "no news is good news." I always have my phone on me though, so if you want to know how things are going, just give me a ring; even I sometimes need to sit down for a break, even if it's only for 5 minutes to chit-chat.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Finally Back...
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and we're off to a running start! We had company over for the holidays and were pretty busy for a coule of weeks. Since 2011 began, I have become the Pledge Mother for the IORG Faith Assembly Pledge program. I will soon be installed as an Advisory Board member for Faith Assembly and I was recently initiated into the Order of the Eastern Star. Needless to say I have been quite busy considering that it is only the 18th day of the year!
I am still babysitting M-F and my kids are still busy with school as well. Sadly Hannah is getting increasingly bored with her everyday schoolwork so I have been suplementing it with some more difficult workbook pages. Zennek is doing great and is getting beter and better with increasingly difficult vocabulary in his everyday reading. Jade is having lots of fun doing her workbooks with me during the day.
Chris is busy with work but is still finding time to have a little fun for himself and spend time with us too. He is now the NCOIC (NCO in charge) for his office. He has also been told to "get his butt to the Board" which is a very good thing. He still has to study for the board before he can go, but it is great news to have a higher up have confidence in him.
Everyone is in good health. The whole family is slowly transitioning into a gluten free diet. We recently were given the news that both Zennek and I have Celiac Disease. Neither one of us can eat gluten and it makes it easier to prepare foods that everyone can eat than two seperate ones. I have been eating gluten free since October and am feeling good. Zennek is now on week 2 and we are hoping that he will have great results as well.
That is about it for now. I will try and update you all again soon.
I am still babysitting M-F and my kids are still busy with school as well. Sadly Hannah is getting increasingly bored with her everyday schoolwork so I have been suplementing it with some more difficult workbook pages. Zennek is doing great and is getting beter and better with increasingly difficult vocabulary in his everyday reading. Jade is having lots of fun doing her workbooks with me during the day.
Chris is busy with work but is still finding time to have a little fun for himself and spend time with us too. He is now the NCOIC (NCO in charge) for his office. He has also been told to "get his butt to the Board" which is a very good thing. He still has to study for the board before he can go, but it is great news to have a higher up have confidence in him.
Everyone is in good health. The whole family is slowly transitioning into a gluten free diet. We recently were given the news that both Zennek and I have Celiac Disease. Neither one of us can eat gluten and it makes it easier to prepare foods that everyone can eat than two seperate ones. I have been eating gluten free since October and am feeling good. Zennek is now on week 2 and we are hoping that he will have great results as well.
That is about it for now. I will try and update you all again soon.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Going to be a long day...
I would first off like to say Happy Birthday to my little girl Hannah, who turned 8 today. I love you honey and can't believe you are growing so fast!
Secondly, wow! I have got a day ahead of me. This morning at 3:00 AM Hannah came and knocked at my door and then came in and told me "mommy, I threw up all over my bed." We got it all taken care of and got her back to sleep and luckily hasn't thrown up since. (although it's only been 3 1/2 hours) Then at 5:30 AM Zennek comes knocking at my door telling me the same thing. So I go into the room to help clean the mess so he can get back to sleep with a bucket at his side and find that Jade had too gotten sick all over her bed, but she is so used to getting sick that afterwards she just fell back asleep in it and it is now all over the place. So, I clean up everything, get everyone buckets and just got them all back to sleep.
I wish I could say I could go back to sleep but now, I am wide awake. I have a doctor's appointment this morning so I have to leave for a little bit, but luckily Chris will be home. Sadly though, the reason he will be home is because he is currently working a 24 hour shift at work and hasn't had any sleep. He will be home around 10:00AM. I know it will be a long day for me, but it will definately be a longer day for him.
Once again, Happy Birthday Hannah! I will try my hardest to make it fun (with buckets and wet washclothes as accessories.) I love all of you!
Secondly, wow! I have got a day ahead of me. This morning at 3:00 AM Hannah came and knocked at my door and then came in and told me "mommy, I threw up all over my bed." We got it all taken care of and got her back to sleep and luckily hasn't thrown up since. (although it's only been 3 1/2 hours) Then at 5:30 AM Zennek comes knocking at my door telling me the same thing. So I go into the room to help clean the mess so he can get back to sleep with a bucket at his side and find that Jade had too gotten sick all over her bed, but she is so used to getting sick that afterwards she just fell back asleep in it and it is now all over the place. So, I clean up everything, get everyone buckets and just got them all back to sleep.
I wish I could say I could go back to sleep but now, I am wide awake. I have a doctor's appointment this morning so I have to leave for a little bit, but luckily Chris will be home. Sadly though, the reason he will be home is because he is currently working a 24 hour shift at work and hasn't had any sleep. He will be home around 10:00AM. I know it will be a long day for me, but it will definately be a longer day for him.
Once again, Happy Birthday Hannah! I will try my hardest to make it fun (with buckets and wet washclothes as accessories.) I love all of you!
Friday, October 29, 2010
My First Attempt At Canning
I rececived six containers of unsellable strawberries yesterday. These were unsellable because some were bad in the containers, but after cutting off bad spots I ended up with a large bowl of them. I crushed them up and decided to make jam. After all the boiling jars and lids, preparing the jam, filling the jars and boiling them, I had a bit of a mess in my kitchen. A very sticky mess to be exact. But, I had a lot of fun doing it so I think I may try it again. When I woke up this morning, the "jam" still hadn't set (but they did seal), so I figure that I now have four large jars of strawberry syrup for pancakes, ice cream, and whatever else.
I can say that it was messy, I can say things didn't go exactly as planned, I can say that I am seriously thinking of investing in a pressure cooker canner and smaller jars, and I can also say that a canning funnel would have been a big help, but even if things weren't ideal I really want to do it again. I also think that with my Celiac, canning will not only be a healthy decision but also a good investment in my wallet. I don't really have a whole lot on my Christmas list, but canning stuff is definately one of those things.
If anyone has ever considered canning, I do recommend it. I also recommend that if you do it that you not have a bunch of hyper kids that just got home from school in the kitchen while you are doing it. The last thing I can say is that a canning funnel, though not necessary, is a VERY good idea; trust me, I had sticky strawberry goop all over my stovetop because I didn't have one. But overall, a fun experience. Good luck!
I can say that it was messy, I can say things didn't go exactly as planned, I can say that I am seriously thinking of investing in a pressure cooker canner and smaller jars, and I can also say that a canning funnel would have been a big help, but even if things weren't ideal I really want to do it again. I also think that with my Celiac, canning will not only be a healthy decision but also a good investment in my wallet. I don't really have a whole lot on my Christmas list, but canning stuff is definately one of those things.
If anyone has ever considered canning, I do recommend it. I also recommend that if you do it that you not have a bunch of hyper kids that just got home from school in the kitchen while you are doing it. The last thing I can say is that a canning funnel, though not necessary, is a VERY good idea; trust me, I had sticky strawberry goop all over my stovetop because I didn't have one. But overall, a fun experience. Good luck!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Going...going...almost gone
So, we are almost there...gluten free that is. I personally have gone gluten free, but we are all working on getting there. I first have to get the kids tested before they can go off oof gluten. I am highly suspicious that Jade has celiac like I do. Having the whole house go gluten free should make life a whole lot easier (and healthier too!) I would do it now, if I could; you have to be eating gluten for at least three months before you can be teseted for celiac or gluten sensitivity, so I am keeping the kids on it until they are tested (which they have an appointment for.) I am having them tested because it is often genetic and they are 1 in 20 likely to have it since I do.
I am very eagerly diving into my new gluten free life. It is not as hard as most people might think, at least now that I am properly informed. One major piece of information that I'll share with everyone is this: there are two types of gluten-free eating one is replacement and one is nutritional. I found out that the people who go gluten free, but only substitute the wheat(barley & rye)-filled items with their gluten-free counterparts they are filling up on completely empty calories. The gluten free alternatives lack the protein and other nutrients that make wheat, barley and rye healthy.
When you eat gluten free with only the ocassional (gluten-free) bread (pasta, etc.) you are eating much better and will be much healthier because of it. A basic rule is "if man made it, don't eat it" (I've read this in multiple books.) Also, when you do eat things like bread, go with the healthiest version you can find. I've learned all kinds of information about grains I've never even heard of that are nutritionally brimming with good stuff. Historically speaking, if you eat like the hunter-gatherers of the past (lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables and many of the ancient whole grains that are widely available, you are eating the healthy-style gluten-free diet.
One other thing, I know how delicious those gluten-filled goodies can be, but I am slowly finding many things that I like even better and I highly recommend that everyone go gluten-free. I know, I know...sounds crazy right? But seriously, from all the reading I've done, I have found that 1 in 133 people have problems with gluten and don't even know it. I've also learned that since the grains containing gluten haven't been in the human diet for very long, the human body has yet to adapt to it, casuing our bodies to react in not so fun ways.
There are many books that have good arguments for everyone to go gluten-free, my favorites so far are Living Gluten Free For Dummies and Gluten Free Cooking For Dummies. I don't consider myself a dummy or anyone who may have actually read this far into my blog one either, but these books are written for us that don't have PhDs in science or medicine or understand the lingo in most other books. I not only recommend reading these, but challenge you to. You might even consider a gluten-free life yourself after you do.
I am very eagerly diving into my new gluten free life. It is not as hard as most people might think, at least now that I am properly informed. One major piece of information that I'll share with everyone is this: there are two types of gluten-free eating one is replacement and one is nutritional. I found out that the people who go gluten free, but only substitute the wheat(barley & rye)-filled items with their gluten-free counterparts they are filling up on completely empty calories. The gluten free alternatives lack the protein and other nutrients that make wheat, barley and rye healthy.
When you eat gluten free with only the ocassional (gluten-free) bread (pasta, etc.) you are eating much better and will be much healthier because of it. A basic rule is "if man made it, don't eat it" (I've read this in multiple books.) Also, when you do eat things like bread, go with the healthiest version you can find. I've learned all kinds of information about grains I've never even heard of that are nutritionally brimming with good stuff. Historically speaking, if you eat like the hunter-gatherers of the past (lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables and many of the ancient whole grains that are widely available, you are eating the healthy-style gluten-free diet.
One other thing, I know how delicious those gluten-filled goodies can be, but I am slowly finding many things that I like even better and I highly recommend that everyone go gluten-free. I know, I know...sounds crazy right? But seriously, from all the reading I've done, I have found that 1 in 133 people have problems with gluten and don't even know it. I've also learned that since the grains containing gluten haven't been in the human diet for very long, the human body has yet to adapt to it, casuing our bodies to react in not so fun ways.
There are many books that have good arguments for everyone to go gluten-free, my favorites so far are Living Gluten Free For Dummies and Gluten Free Cooking For Dummies. I don't consider myself a dummy or anyone who may have actually read this far into my blog one either, but these books are written for us that don't have PhDs in science or medicine or understand the lingo in most other books. I not only recommend reading these, but challenge you to. You might even consider a gluten-free life yourself after you do.
Friday, October 8, 2010
WOW
I have been doing a lot of reading lately, mostly about going Gluten-Free now that I have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease. I have to say that I have found many good recipes that I am eager to try. Many of them come from a book titled: GETTING YOUR KIDS ON A GLUTEN-FREE CASIEN-FREE DIET by Susan Lord. I started here because recipes made for kids, often being finicky eaters, sounded like a good place to start.
I am currently reading GLUTEN FREE COOKING FOR DUMMIES by Danna Korn and Connie Sarros. I am floored by the information I have learned, just from the first three chapters alone! This book is really nice because (being a book from the "Dummies" series) is written so people can understand it. It truly explains the WHY of both gluten sensitivity and Celiac Disease and even the difference between the two.
I will continue to read more and more about this whole lifestyle change I must make. All this reading has made me very optimistic about changing everything and I highly recommend that even if you don't have a reason to go gluten-free, that you at least read GLUTEN FREE COOKING FOR DUMMIES, it is well worth it (and I found it at the local library!)
I am currently reading GLUTEN FREE COOKING FOR DUMMIES by Danna Korn and Connie Sarros. I am floored by the information I have learned, just from the first three chapters alone! This book is really nice because (being a book from the "Dummies" series) is written so people can understand it. It truly explains the WHY of both gluten sensitivity and Celiac Disease and even the difference between the two.
I will continue to read more and more about this whole lifestyle change I must make. All this reading has made me very optimistic about changing everything and I highly recommend that even if you don't have a reason to go gluten-free, that you at least read GLUTEN FREE COOKING FOR DUMMIES, it is well worth it (and I found it at the local library!)
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